I am so excited about our new holiday collection from Chris, I think you will be too! I asked her if she'd like to write a guest blog post explaining her inspiration for her designs, and she was more than gracious to stay up late one night, typing, when I know she'd rather be painting! This is her story, in her words sent over to me. As a fellow Pacific Northwest girl, I can totally understand why she's inspired by the scenery, and lifestyle in the Puget Sound.
These stockings are only a small selection of her fabulous holiday collection!
Guest blogger: Crabby Chris
It’s true, what they say about self-employment: When you work for yourself, you only have to
labor half a day; then you can do whatever you want in the remaining twelve
hours. Aside from the requisite six
hours of sleep, I must have my recommended daily allowance of beachwalking –
for research, of course, for my handpainted beach-inspired pillows.
The R&D process takes me to water’s edge; here I draw
inspiration from the fascinating life forms, colors, sights, scents and sounds
of the place where the ocean meets the land.
Living on an island in Puget Sound, I am sensitized to the rhythms of
nature, the water’s ebb and flow, the angle of the sun, the calls of the
seabirds. I love to paint images of the
creatures with which I share this beautiful locale, and also those that
populate the exotic places I have yet to experience.
When our amazing shrinking family moved to our beach house a
few years ago, I began doing lots of “beachy” activities – assembling
Adirondack chairs, sewing crustacean quilts, and painting pillows for our
sundrenched deck. Soon our neighbors
noticed our bright-colored crab pillows and wanted some of their own. One day I asked a local shop owner if my painted
pillows might help market her colorful outdoor furniture. They did, and suddenly I was painting and
sewing pillows six days a week. You can
usually tell what I’ve been working on from the color of paint under my
fingernails.
I have a few things to confess... with the sincere hope that the reader will not judge me too harshly
- I paint in my jammies
- When on the beach I sometimes lose track of time.
- I prefer Dungeness crab over lobster
- I've never seen a piece of driftwood I didn't like.
- On really busy days, I forget to apply makeup - sorry.
- I am compelled to photograph as many sunsets as possible
- The squawk of a great blue heron sounds like music to me
- I sometimes awaken at 3:30 am with a fabulous design idea
- I have collected more seashells than I can count
They say confession is good for the soul. I must admit I feel a little better coming
clean, but I sincerely hope that others
not become unduly burdened by these
disturbing revelations. The next time you
see a sunburned blonde with paint under her nails, please be kind. She doesn’t get much sleep.
(I think she looks pretty great for no sleep, and no makeup!)
I put together these collages of coastal holiday decorating ideas - all featuring Chris' awesome tree skirts. I have never seen any beach house decor done like her designs, all finely finished - they will last a lifetime, and will become treasured family favorites.
Traditional red and green colors, but with a decidedly "beachy" flair! The tumbled sea glass ornaments are also products from another Pacific Northwest artist.....
I call this collection Nantucket - with the nautical touches of miniature striped buoys and bright green lobsters, and candy cane striped lighthouse stockings.
Blues, Aquas, seashells and a more than a few mermaids! (P.S. The Mermaid stockings can be customized with different hair color shades)
Highlighted with corals, red and white decorations - this would be an easy look to complete for your shore holidays!
